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About KFC

True Originals — The Colonel and KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken

He was a sixth-grade dropout, an army mule-tender, a locomotive fireman, an insurance salesman and a political candidate. And that was before he became the world’s most famous cook after reaching “retirement age.” Colonel Harland Sanders was many things. He is a great success story. Enjoy these stories about the Colonel.

Say “bucket of chicken” and you think KFC®. The famous paper bucket that KFC® uses for its larger-sized orders of chicken has come to be recognized worldwide. Its fame spread even faster as KFC® locations adopted the iconic rotating bucket sign.

Colonel Sanders was an early pioneer of the restaurant franchising concept, with the first “Kentucky Fried Chicken” franchise opening in Utah in the early 1950s. Its rapid expansion saw it grow too large for Sanders to manage, and he eventually sold the company to a group of investors. Despite this, his image was still used as branding, and he worked as a goodwill ambassador for the company until shortly before his death. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, KFC had mixed success at home as it went through a series of corporate owners who had little or no experience in the restaurant business, although it continued to expand in overseas markets. In the early 1970s, KFC was sold to the spirits firm Heublein, who were taken over by the R.J. Reynoldsconglomerate, who sold the chain to PepsiCo. PepsiCo spun off its restaurants division (also including Pizza Hut and Taco Bell), as Tricon Global Restaurants, which later changed its name to Yum! Brands.

KFC’s two major single markets are in its home country and China, which together contain around half of its outlets. The chain primarily sells fried chicken pieces and variations such as chicken burgers (chicken sandwiches [US]) and wraps, as well as side dishes such as Potato wedges and coleslaw, desserts and soft drinks, often supplied by PepsiCo. Its most famous product is pressure fried chicken pieces, seasoned with Sanders’ “Original Recipe” of 11 herbs and spices. The exact nature of these ingredients are unknown, and represent a notable trade secret. KFC is famous for the slogan “finger lickin’ good”, which has since been replaced by “So good”, and “Nobody does chicken like KFC”.